Borne of the Rose
by SageFires
Summary: Following the death of the Legendary Bandit, strange events seem to unfold. Old friends and new must now find the meaning behind it as new life begins to take seed. (Eventual KuramaXoc)
1. Prologue

As the moon rose higher in the sky, and the mist began to settle on the forest floor, whispers from demons all around began to travel on the wind; Youko Kurama was dead. "It's true!" some would shout, bursting through doors in local taverns, as others would simply hang their head in mourning to remember the bandit at his best.

One demon in particular simply couldn't believe the news. This was the Legendary Bandit, a demon who had been unstoppable for thousands of years; weeks ago he had been informed that King Enma had men tracking the Youko, but hadn't thought twice that the errand boys would defeat a demon of that class. Refusing to take the word of a tavern drunkard, the demon set out to witness for himself.

It took days to decipher the area based on rumors, and days still to track the body. But sprawled across the roots of a large camphor tree lay Youko Kurama, his features untouched by time, even in death. The forest had already begun to take back what was once it's own, tendrils of roots climbing up the demon's arms and legs and tangling around the wound that had inevitably been the end of him. Though unfortunate, the validity of the situation wasn't the strangest aspect.

The four eared demon sighed, breaking the pregnant silence of the forest, before a small smile played across his lips. He could sense that the Youko's reiki was all but gone, his spirit gone with it. 'How cunning..' he thought, and couldn't help but feel a bit relieved, and even a bit excited for what grand scheme Youko Kurama would try to pull off next; for death, it seemed, was not to be the end of him.

Hours passed as the Youko's old colleague tidied up the gravesite, adjusting it in a way to allow passerby to properly pay their respects. It wasn't till he was about excuse himself when he sensed it. Nearby, nestled in a patch of wildflowers, lay the tattered remains of Kurama's seed pouch. Each seed he had collected in his years sat in a pile, sprouts shooting out of most of them and digging in to the fertile earth. Though there was something more..

One large shoot sprouted from the center of the bunch, it's leaves nearly pulsing with energy. The demon sensed it's potential, and though confused by the implications, pushed his own energy tenderly upon the shoot. The plant seemed to grow marginally, the leaves coiling tighter to form a sizeable bud. There, wrapped protectively in the center, was a gentle energy. It hummed with reiki, singing in his many ears.

Sensing no immanent danger, Yomi settled down to tend to and invest in this potential miracle among miracles..


	2. Chapter 2

For weeks Yomi lived within the forest, never leaving for too long and always returning to the strange plant. The plant itself hadn't changed much; it had nearly tripled in size, but the leaves wound tightly over the bundle it nurtured within it's bud. Many would find this task daunting, even murderously mundane, but Yomi found it peaceful. Most of the day he would sit cross-legged nearby, meditating and focusing his reiki into his center as well as the flower.

After six weeks of patient waiting, something changed within the flower's energy. Before, as Yomi had concentrated for hours on end, his reiki would gently steep into the bud, through the stem, and push it's way into the ground. His specialty had never been horticulture like the late Youko, and only had to hope he was helping. Now, as rain began to pitter patter through the canopy of the camphor tree, it seemed as though the flower pushed back. Yomi's ears twitched, pulling him out of his deep meditation. At first he thought he had imagined it, so he pushed his energy further; there, in the corner of his mind, was the resistance.

Smiling the smallest of smiles, Yomi stood and walked away, moving a few miles east to where he had been sleeping at night. It was still daylight, the sun only just beginning to dip in the sky, but enough progress had been made. A soft sigh of wind swept through the forest, rustling the trees and catching the dead foliage in a dancing spiral through the air. Birds chirped over head, racing to return to their nests to escape the oncoming storm. The skies above darkened, the clouds twisting in turmoil. The thunder started softly, but quickly turned into loud booms overhead. The gentle sway of the trees became frantic, fresh leaves ripping from their limbs and disappearing into the darkness.

Rain quickly flooded the forest floor, the hard packed dirt becoming a sticky mud. The large bud stood strong as the small flowers around it's roots were drowned in the sudden torrent. It's stem shuddered in the wind, absorbing as much as it could. The bud wound tighter before swelling in size. The outer leaves crawled open, falling at it's sides, as the inner petals began to slowly open, flicking in the strong wind and rain. Minutes passed as the large flower opened, the petals becoming larger as it reached the core.

A mile west from where the flower was blooming, a fishing boat pulled suddenly on to land. A pair of demons, a fire demon and a simple C class demon jumped out, sinking ankle deep in the marsh. They had been out on the river and were blindsided by the sudden storm, the strong wind pulling them farther away from their home in the north. They pulled their small boat onto more solid ground, the fire demon swearing loudly.

"We'll leave it here!" He shouted at his mate over the roaring wind, "We've no chance of dragging it through all this!" The mated pair huddled together as they trudged through the onslaught. Back at the gravesite, the flower gave one more shudder before blooming completely. The last petals fell open, revealing inside of pale baby girl. The heavy rain fell on her skin, pattering against her eyes, causing her to stir. Out of the warmth of her womb, she squirmed and began to wail, her cries swallowed by the forest.

The fire demon stopped; his mate, unaware, carried on.

"Stop," he shouted. "Do you hear that?" he looked around before quickening his pace towards the phantom cries. It took them minutes to reach the baby. They had heard the cries, but still couldn't believe their eyes when they found her. Pulling off his shirt - the only layer he could spare, as he hadn't dressed for such weather - he wrapped her up as tight as he could and held her close to him, leaning over in attempt to keep the rain off her face.

After the long walk to their home, her lips had begun to turn a faint blue, and the fire demon's mate quickly ran inside to start a fire while he carried the baby into their room to grab a dry blanket. Once they were dry and had settled down in front of the fire, the pair looked the now sleeping baby over. Her hair was a soft moss green, and freckles covered her face.

"It's what we've always wanted."

"Yes, but she isn't ours." The fire demon lamented.

"She was out in a forest during a storm, she can't be more than a few days old. We've all she has." Reluctantly, though secretly happy, the fire demon relented and settled in to his new role as father.


	3. Chapter 3

The storm raged for three long days; ripping trees from their roots and filling the rivers and lakes onto the shorelines. It ended as fast as it began, the skies opening up and basking everything in sunlight. The forest seemed to sparkle in the long awaited daylight. Eagerly awaiting this moment, Yomi quickly began his journey back to the camphor tree. The path was all but overturned, making the usually short walk very tedious and long.

Everything was soaked in water, each step he took was a sloshy one, and his senses were heightened to all the unusual noises. Unable to see anything, Yomi was forced to walk slowly around the new obstacles, the splashing throwing him off and making him unsure of his surroundings. He came upon the gravesite first, and after a short deliberation, decided to tidy up to pay his respects before continuing on.

Feeling as though time had stopped, Yomi gingerly approached the now desecrated flower patch only to sense… nothing. No familiar reiki, no unusual clues as to what happened. The storm had washed away any footprints and only a watery, muddy smell hung in the air.

Yomi stood in the wreckage, very much alone, the flower at his feet open and wilting.

"A baby?!" Koenma yelled, his voice rattling down the large hallway. Months had passed, and the junior King had since stepped into his role while his father was away. There had been no need to insure the Youko's death - his father had proven that ten fold - but Koenma's blue haired spy had been ordered to watch Yomi and the mysterious flower from a distance.

Koenma had been less than pleased, to put it lightly, when Botan had been off somewhere else when the flower bloomed. It had taken a while to track the baby - she didn't know what or who she was looking for, and the storm had left no clues as to where anything had gone. She had all but given up hope as she flew over the same hut for the tenth time that week when she heard the baby cry for the first time. Now she stood sheepishly in front of koenma, pushing her two index fingers together.

"She's a very cute baby," she offered, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Koenma glowered at her, shoving papers around on his desk which had been sent flying when he slammed his hands down at the news.

"There has been quite enough strange baby activity lately, I want no more of it. You're sure she seems to be of no threat?"

"No no no! She's just a regular baby!" she stuttered, then balked at the look the baby king shot her. "Sorry, sir, no offense meant."

Letting the comment slide, Koenma settled back into his chair and composed himself, shutting his eyes and chewing on his binky as he thought. This was no accident, that baby had been born of the seeds the Youko had carried with him. There was no telling what deadly seeds he had collected, nor which seeds had formed a seemingly functional demon child. The only choice that made sense was to keep watch over her, for depending on how this child grew up, she could prove useful down the road.

Having made up his mind, Koenma fixed Botan with a stoic look. "Watch this baby and report everything back to me, and me alone. I want to know of any changes and any hint of powers this child might have. Now, what of the Minamino baby?"

"Oh! Shuichi is doing very well, he's a very healthy toddler and there's no signs of his former self!" Botan said happily, earning a suspicious look from Koenma.

"Right. Well, go check on both of them and don't return until something changes."

Botan saluted and spun on her heels before sitting back on her paddle and taking off towards Ningenkai. Koenma watched her go before heaving a great sigh and rubbing his temples, preparing himself for the headache this predicament would surely bring.

Through the years the baby grew up happy and healthy. Her new parents named her Tsubomi so she would forever know where she came from. The fire demon had thought of it, as his name was Kasai and a literal translation suited the family names.

"Like father like daughter!" he had cried proudly. His mate was a simple hodgepodge of a few different demons, and was unsure of which though never had taken the time to find out. They were perfect parents; Kasai was passionate of everything and just as protective, while Tenji was loving without smothering Tsubomi, allowing her freedom to make her own mistakes. Neither parent ever lied to her, and taught her everything they knew. As a simple fisherman family they didn't have much to offer, but Tsubomi never wanted much. She kept to herself and found friends in the wildlife, her playgrounds were the fields and rivers around her home.

Two days before Tsubomi's eighth birthday, Tenji was out on the lake while Kasai and Tsubomi were playing with the rocks on the shore. Tsubomi's moss green hair had grown to her hips, and today her father had tied it in a loose braid down her back. The sundress she wore was already dirty, scuffed with grass stains from picking flowers to put in her braid, and mud along the hem from when she walked along the shore. Kasai was nearby, standing on a felled tree that hung into the water, when his pole dipped down with the weight of a fish. Tsubomi, having helped many times before, jumped up and grabbed a net before running down the log towards her dad, sticking the net out in front of her.

"Careful, Tsubomi, your feet are all muddy and I don't want you to slip and hurt yourself," Kasai grunted as he pulled against the fighting fish.

"I'm careful!" she chirped, brushing her bangs off her face and leaving a streak of mud on her cheek as she propped the pole on her stomach for balance. The tranquil water erupted as the thrashing fish breached, fighting to the end. Kasai wound his pole completely, and turned to drop it in the net when the fish gave one last thrash, causing one of it's sharp fins to cut a long gash along Kasai's forearm. Swearing and holding his bloody arm away from his clothing, he burned the wire and dropped the fish into the net, not risking putting his hand into it's mouth.

The second blood started to drip from his arm, Tsubomi became fixated. As fast and as careful as she could muster, she ran back down the log and tossed the fish into the bucket they had brought with them before running back to her father and pulling on his sleeve.

"Tsubomi, stop it, I'm fine. Let's get off this log so I can clean myself off." But Tsubomi didn't move. Instead, she pulled his arm down and held onto his fingers, looking intently at the cut. Kasai tried to usher her back again, but words escaped him as he noticed the cut on his arm sealing. Soon there was only the drying blood to prove anything had happened. Kasai looked at his daughter in awe but noticed something move on her arm. There, in her left forearm, was the exact gash that had sealed on his own arm.

"Tsubomi-!"

Both watched as thin vines wove across the cut, squirming around one another, before sinking into her skin and sealing the cut.

"Dad..?" she whimpered, unsure of what she had done and slightly frightened.

"You're alright, it's your gift, Tsubomi. Be proud of it, healing is as rare as they come," he said as he scooped her up beneath the armpits and carried her down the log, her arms tight around his neck. His own powers were for destruction and he was unsure how he would nurture her gift, but Tenji would know what to do.

Overhead, a blur of blue sped by as Botan left to tell Koenma the news.


End file.
